What do you need to know about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX?

March 2020 is starting off strong for the Switch. Nintendo is bringing back a classic series with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. The friendly roguelike filled with familiar, fluffy faces has a new coat of paint and extra features designed to make it more enticing. But are you ready to live that Pokemon life?

What is Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX?

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a remake of a Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS roguelike aimed at people unfamiliar with the genre. Players are all humans who have suddenly been turned into a Pokemon, with a personality quiz determining your new identity for the adventure. (You can also choose exactly who you and your primary partner will be.)

As you try to discover why you are suddenly a Pokemon, you’ll also help Pokemon deal with major environmental issues and minor problems. This means you and your first partner will form a rescue team, take missions and dive into randomized dungeons. If you fall in a dungeon, you are booted out and lose everything. The key is moderation, as you want to make sure you are leveling up at a steady pace and capable of completing each floor without failing.

How does it differ from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team?

The general concept in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is the same. Some of the changes are obvious. Since there is only one title, you don’t have certain characters as exclusives in one title or another. It also has a completely new look, with a hand-drawn style.

Some of the other changes revealed ahead of launch are an array of quality-of-life adjustments. When you head into a dungeon, up to eight of your fellow Pokemon can join your party. When you aren’t in the middle of a fight with hostile creatures, you can turn on an Auto mode option that will send your allies around a screen. When you fight, you can have an optional assist that will have you use the attack best-suited to a situation when A is pressed. There will also be both auto and manual save options as you explore.

Will there be new Pokemon in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX?

Yes, there will! Some of the new characters are really obvious inclusions. For example, Nintendo’s PR for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX specifically mentioned Mega Evolved Pokemon. In the announcement trailer, we saw a Charizard eat a new item called an Empowerment Seed. When the character did, it mega evolved into Mega Charizard X.

Speaking of the announcement trailer, it showed off one of the newly added Pokemon that will appear in the game. Namely, we see a Lucario on a rescue team. Other creatures from different installments that weren’t available when Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team debuted will show up too, though an official list hasn’t been released yet.

Where do I go next if I like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX?

You’ll have a few different options. If you want more Pokemon-related adventures, you could always pick up Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity or Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon. Both require you to own a Nintendo 3DS, however.

If you want to stick to the Switch, then you’ll find a smaller roguelike library. Still, there are a few titles to choose from. Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy is a great pick. This is a remake of a Wii game that adds the ability to recruit monsters and other characters and have a friend join you for cooperative multiplayer. You might want to look into Yodanji, a budget roguelike filled with monsters from Japanese folklore. It doesn’t have as much flash, but it is rather challenging for a $5 affair.